


A Dog Meet Dog World

by MalcolmInSpace



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, such a good boy, who's a good boy, yes yes you are, yes you are, you are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 22:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8119948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmInSpace/pseuds/MalcolmInSpace
Summary: Two dogs meet on a crossroads and have a talk about their respective persons...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haraya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haraya/gifts).



They say that where there are Fereldens, there are dogs. They also say it a number of other ways, each less complimentary than the last, but really they’re saying that where there are Fereldens, there are dogs. And this is true. It is true in a general sense and, one crisp fall day it was true in a specific sense at a roadside inn at the crossroads of two wagon-rutted dirt roads, neither of which lead anywhere important. It was true because at this unimportant, little known roadside inn were, on this particular day, two Fereldens and, being Fereldens, they had mabari with them. Now, this inn not being in Ferelden, the mabari were not welcome indoors. Few Fereldens would let this go unchallenged and normally neither would either of these Fereldens, but this was not a normal day and both Fereldens were working very hard not to be recognized. They didn’t even recognize each other. Both were clad in woolen cloaks and battered gear and looked like exactly the sort to be quietly eating a simple meal at a roadside inn in the middle of nowhere important. One of them was consciously not wearing a clawed, black-metal gauntlet and red paint across their nose and the other kept their griffon-stamped armour well hidden in a sack beneath clothes and dirty socks. No one recognized them, and that was as it should be.

Dogs share many traits with humans, especially mabari dogs and Ferelden humans, but the concept of remaining incognito is not one of them. And so, as they waited by the stables for their respective people, they introduced themselves in the manner of dogs.

“Hello,” said the mabari who lived with the one that sometimes but not currently wore griffon-stamped armour, “I am Larder-Guarder.” This was not the name the mabari’s person used, and in truth they would be somewhat surprised to learn that this was still how their faithful hound thought of himself.

“Hello,” said the mabari who lived with the human who sometimes but not currently wore red paint across their nose. The mabari missed that paint because it was the same paint he wore so proudly and he liked smelling the same as his human. “I am Goes-Across-The-Sea.” Mabari have flexible concepts of names, and tend to pick new ones for dramatic life events. He had considered changing to Chews-On-Dragons, but that seemed boastful and he was a humble dog.

So they sniffed each other and complimented each other on the many fascinating smells they had accumulated on the weeks of travel and, more importantly, the weeks of not bathing. Larder-Guarder lamented losing a particularly piquant dead moose smell during a river crossing last week and Goes-Across-The-Sea commiserated.

As it inevitably does among mabari, the conversation turned to their respective persons. Mabari are humble enough about their own merits, but are all utterly convinced that their own person is the greatest person. They settled down with a pair of old horse bones Larder-Guarder found behind the stables and began the traditional game of one-up-dog-ship.

“My person,” said Larder-Guarder, “Cured me of the Foulblood posion before I adopted them.” Foulbloods being the mabari term for darkspawn.

Goes-Across-The-Sea considered this. “I adopted my person as a puppy, and we’ve been together so long I am my person’s only remaining family.”

These were both excellent stories, mabari valuing faithfulness in all things. So they continued.

“My person,” said Larder-Guarder, "has slain a many of demons.” Mabari, while quite clever, have difficulty with expressing large numbers so ‘a many’ meant a group too large for words. It implied impressive scope, if not specificity.

“My person,” replied Goes-Across-The-Sea, “travelled into a child’s mind to save it from a demon.”

Now the game was truly a-paw. Larder-Guarder sniffed haughtily even while his stumpy tail twitched happily. “My person brought me into the Wolf-Place so we could fight a demon king.” Mabari memory is long, and so they still refer to the Fade as the Wolf-Place.

There was a pause as they both worked into their respective bones. “My person,” Goes-Across-The-Sea replied, somewhat indistinctly, “Bested a king of the horn-people.”

“My person rescued a horn-person and adopted it. Except it didn’t have horns.” Mabari value friendship as much as prowess, and so this was a draw once more.

“Together my person and I saw the deepest Deep Place,” ventured Goes-Across-The-Sea.

“My person and I slaughtered many spiders in the Deep Places.”

“My person and I killed a queen of the spiders.”

“My person and I killed a king of the Foulbloods.”

That was a good one. Goes-Across-The-Sea drew a breath and played one of his best stories. “My person and I rode with the dragon of the swamp!” The mabari also remember Flemeth and her true nature.

Larder-Guarder fired back quickly, “My person battled the dragon of the swamp to steal her magic book.”

“The dragon of the swamp is a nice person. She gave me snacks after she helped my person escape the Foulbloods.”

“She gave _me_ snacks after she helped _my_ person escape the Foulbloods.” They grinned at each other and wagged their stumpy tails in delight at this matching story.

“My person and I,” said Goes-Across-The-Sea, smugly preparing to win the game, “killed a dragon and I gnawed on its bones.”

“Ah,” said Larder-Guarder with the air of someone delighting in a trap, “My person and I fought a dragon atop a tower and afterwards they threw me a party and gave me cake.”. Mabari have a very poor understanding of personal property and assume that all food they see is implicitly being shared with them. Larder-Guarder was not given any cake. Larder-Guarder stole the cake. Off of Queen Anora’s plate. She nearly banished the Wardens again.

Goes-Across-The-Sea was stumped. Fighting a dragon atop a tower and being give cake… that was pretty amazing. And so he said, “My person loves me the most in all the world.” This was the greatest thing for a mabari, and so traditionally signalled the end of the game. Larder-Guarder agreed and said that his person also loved him the most in all the world, and so they chewed their bones in quiet, content companionship.

Eventually, Larder-Guarder’s person came out to collect him so they could continue their journey. Shortly after came Goes-Across-The-Sea’s person to do likewise. The two Fereldens shared a smile and a few words that communicated their love of dogs, and deeper down things like, “I recognize in you a burden like mine, a burden of guilt, and rage, and loneliness. A burden we cannot share with anyone except The One, who we cannot be with.”

Larder-Guarder and Goes-Across-The-Sea sensed all this, mabari being clever and empathetic creatures. And they thought it was ridiculous, mabari being direct and uncomplicated creatures. Besides, their persons had such interesting smells!


End file.
